The Retail Motor Industry Federation’s Independent Garage Association, has found that only 58% of independent garages in the UK currently run a website for their business.

The IGA Website Provision Report, shows that progress in website provision is still slow in this sector, with thousands of garages missing out on potential business through not having an on-line presence. Indications are that the percentage of Irish garages not on the net could be even higher.  

Stuart James, Director of the RMI’s Independent Garage Association, commented on the findings, “Recent statistics indicate, that consumers are using the Internet as a reliable tool to research which garage they will next use. With the increased use of internet marketing by businesses and sites such as Facebook and Twitter being used as advertising tools, it is more important than ever that independent garages move into the technological age.”

James believes that by modernising the way they portray themselves to customers, independent garages can begin to move away from more old fashioned practices and an often poor motor trade image.  

With the internet part of everyone’s daily lives and the younger generation almost totally reliant on it, garages who stay off line are likely to find their customer base shrinking all the time. The report also pointed out that today, securing a basic web presence, need not be expensive and can make a dramatic difference to how easy a good garage is to locate.